Books with title The Chocolate Touch

Meet Sam and Sophie Shattenberg—two sisters from Queens, New York, who are trying to create new lives for themselves in the tiny town of Venice, Indiana. They’ve changed their names, dyed their hair, and taken up a new hobby—solving missing persons cases. At the same time, they’re working hard to make sure that they stay missing themselves . . . CASE #2:Missing: Ruth Rivka Brauner, lost love of Professor Leo ShattenbergPhysical description: petite, slender, elderly. Loves chocolate.Last seen: Hester Klein’s boarding house. Chicago, Illinois, April 1947Comments: Trying to locate someone who has been missing for over fifty years is a challenge for any private investigator. But for Sophie and Sam, the real challenge is trying to figure out whether Professor Leo Shattenberg is also Cousin Leo . . . without exposing who they really are.

One of the most controversial YA novels of all time, The Chocolate War is a modern masterpiece that speaks to fans of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders and John Knowles’s A Separate Peace. After suffering rejection from seven major publishers, The Chocolate War made its debut in 1974, and quickly became a bestselling—and provocative—classic for young adults. This chilling portrait of an all-boys prep school casts an unflinching eye on the pitfalls of conformity and corruption in our most elite cultural institutions. “Masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful.”—The New York Times Book Review “[Frank] Muller's mesmerizing narration underlines Jerry's frustrations with sports, school, family, and life. He captures the tone and cadences of the male cast, from Jerry's growing disillusionment and Archie's sly intimidation to the chilling menace in Brother Leon's voice…ln his foreword, Cormier admits he wrote this for adults, not knowing that writing for young adults was even a possibility. Yet it has become a controversial and often banned YA classic, rich in themes—bullying, fitting in versus being true to oneself, dealing with peer pressure—that resonate as profoundly today as they did when this was published, in 1974.”—Booklist, starred review “The characterizations of all the boys are superb.”—School Library Journal, starred review “Compellingly immediate. . . . Readers will respect the uncompromising ending.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewAn ALA Best Book for Young AdultsA School Library Journal Best Book of the YearA Kirkus Reviews Editor’s ChoiceA New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year

With no point of reference for a life of "normalcy," seeking acceptance and security in a country not accommodating to immigrants, the author relied only on survival instincts, leading to her years of co-dependency, self-doubt, and utter despondency. She finds herself seeking refuge in controlling religious factions and abusive relationships. This life struggle reminds her constantly of her experiences in WWII where she spent her first six years on the front lines in Russia and as a refugee in Hitler's Germany. Her lullabies were the sounds of gunfire and exploding bombs. Her arrival at Ellis Island was promised to be the beginning of freedom; instead, it was only the continuation of abuse and control—intimate and personal relationships of psychological warfare.